JP2000272332A - Air conditioner for automobile - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a compact air conditioner for a vehicle with excellent temperature control. SOLUTION: An evaporator 20 and an electric heater 30 are disposed in a casing 10 from upstream to downstream. The evaporator 20 is disposed to completely obstruct a passage 11 in the casing 10, so that all the air introduced in the casing 10 passes through the evaporator 20. The electric heater 30 is disposed to completely obstruct the passage 11 in the casing 10, so that all the air introduced in the casing 10 passes through the heater 30. The heater 30 has two independent heating areas 31, 32 with different sizes. A differential outlet 40, a vent outlet 50, and a foot outlet 60 are provided downstream of the casing 10. These outlets 40 to 60 are opened and closed by open/close doors 41, 51, 61 respectively. The open/close doors 41 to 61 are opened/closed by 1 chip microcomputer, and power is supplied to the heating areas 31, 32 according to the mode and stored-program controlled.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air conditioner for a vehicle, and more particularly to an air conditioner for a vehicle used for a hybrid vehicle or an electric vehicle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram of a conventional automobile air conditioner.

[0003] An air conditioner for an automobile is composed of an evaporator 22.
0, a heater core 230, an air mix door 235, and a casing 210.

In the casing 210, an evaporator 220, an air mixing door 235, and a heater core 230 are accommodated from the upstream side to the downstream side.

[0005] The evaporator 220 is an air mix door 2
35, a passage 211 in the casing 210.
Is arranged so as to block all of the air, so that all of the air sucked by the blower fan (not shown) passes through the evaporator 220.

[0006] The heater core 230 is an aerial door 235.
And is arranged so as to block a lower portion of the passage 211 in the casing 210.

The casing 210 has a differential outlet 240,
A vent outlet 250 and a foot outlet 260 are formed.

[0008] In the casing 210, a differential air outlet 24 is provided.
0, an opening / closing door 251 for opening / closing the vent outlet 250, and an opening / closing door 261 for opening / closing the foot outlet 260.

The differential outlet 240 and the vent outlet 250
Is provided on the upper part of the casing 210, and the foot outlet 2
60 is provided at the lower part of the casing 210.

According to the opening degree of the air mix door 235,
Air passing through evaporator 220 and heater core 230
The ratio with the air passing through is determined. Hot air and cold air are mixed in the air mix chamber 236, and the air is blown into the vehicle interior through the outlets 240, 250, and 260.

[0011]

By the way, in this automotive air conditioner, a large space in the casing 210 is occupied by the air mix door 235 and the air mix chamber 236, and the casing 210 is enlarged accordingly.

In addition, since the heating area and the heating amount of the heater core 230 cannot be adjusted, it is difficult to properly control the temperature in each mode.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an air conditioner for a vehicle which is small in size and excellent in temperature control.

[0014]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cooling heat exchanger and a cooling heat exchanger disposed downstream of the cooling heat exchanger. Heating means for heating the passed air, a unit case accommodating the cooling heat exchanger and the heating means,
An automotive air conditioner, which is located downstream of the heating means and has a plurality of outlets provided in the unit case, wherein the heating means is an electric heater, and air downstream of the cooling heat exchanger is provided. The electric heater is arranged so as to block the passage, and the electric heater is divided into a plurality of independent heating areas.

An arbitrary amount of heat can be generated in an arbitrary heating area of an electric heater arranged so as to block an air passage downstream of the cooling heat exchanger. Further, the air mix door and the air mix chamber can be eliminated.

According to a second aspect of the invention, in the vehicle air conditioner according to the first aspect, the plurality of independent heating areas have different heating capacities.

By heating only the required heating area, a desired heating capacity can be secured in each mode.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cooling heat exchanger, and heating means disposed downstream of the cooling heat exchanger for heating air passing through the cooling heat exchanger.
An automotive air conditioner comprising: a unit case accommodating the cooling heat exchanger and the heating unit; and a plurality of outlets provided in the unit case, which are located downstream of the heating unit. Are a plurality of electric heaters arranged so as to block an air passage downstream of the cooling heat exchanger.

Any electric power can be supplied to any electric heater arranged so as to block the air passage downstream of the cooling heat exchanger. Further, the air mix door and the air mix chamber can be eliminated.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle air conditioner according to the third aspect, the plurality of electric heaters have different heating capacities.

A desired heating capacity can be ensured in each mode only by supplying a predetermined electric power to a required electric heater.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle air conditioner according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the unit case is divided into a driver side unit case and a passenger side divided by a partition plate. An electric heater is provided in each of the unit cases.

Different temperatures can be set for the driver's seat side and the passenger's seat side.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle air conditioner according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, an opening for attaching and detaching the electric heater is provided in the unit case. It is characterized by.

The electric heater can be attached and detached without disassembling the unit case.

[0026]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a vehicle air conditioner according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

An evaporator (cooling heat exchanger) 20 and an electric heater (heating means) are provided in the casing (unit case) 10 of the vehicle air conditioner from upstream to downstream.
30 are arranged.

The evaporator 20 is a heat exchanger that cools air sent from a blowing unit (not shown) attached to the casing 10. The evaporator 20 is disposed so as to block the entire surface of the passage (air passage) 11 in the casing 10. All of the air introduced into the casing 10 passes through the evaporator 20.

The electric heater 30 is disposed so as to block the entire surface of the passage 11 in the casing 10, and all the air introduced into the casing 10 passes through the electric heater 30.

The electric heater 30 has two independent heating areas 31 and 32 having different areas. Each heating area 3
1, 32 are connected to a battery via a switch device for controlling power supply (both are not shown). In addition,
The battery capacity is about 260 Ah.

The electric heater 3 is provided on the casing 10.
An opening 15 for attaching / detaching 0 is formed.

The differential outlet 40, the vent outlet 50, and the foot outlet 60 are provided on the downstream side of the casing 10.

Each of the differential outlet 40, the vent outlet 50, and the foot outlet 60 sends air into the passenger compartment through a duct (not shown).

Each outlet 40, 50, 60 is opened and closed by three opening / closing doors 41, 51, 61.

The doors 41, 51, 61 are opened and closed according to the mode. Opening / closing of the opening / closing doors 41, 51, 61 is controlled by a stored program together with control of a switch device for supplying electric power to the heating areas 31, 32, for example, using a one-chip microcomputer (not shown).

Next, the operation of the automotive air conditioner will be described.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the air conditioner for a vehicle in each mode.

In the electric heater 30 shown in FIG. 2, black indicates a power supply state, and white indicates a non-power supply state.

When the vent mode is selected, both the heating area 31 and the heating area 32 are in a non-power supply state.

At the same time, the doors 41, 51, 61 are driven to the positions shown in the figure, the doors 41 and 61 are closed, and the door 51 is opened (see FIG. 2A).

The air introduced into the passage 11 is cooled when passing through the evaporator 20 and passes through the electric heater 30. At this time, since the air is not heated, cool air is blown from the vent outlet 50 into the vehicle interior.

When the bi-level mode is selected,
The heating area 31 is set to the non-power supply state, and the heating area 3
2 is turned on, and only the heating area 32 is heated.

At the same time, the doors 41, 51, 61 are driven, the door 41 is closed, the door 61 is opened, and the door 51 is in the intermediate position (see FIG. 2B).

The air introduced into the passage 11 is cooled when passing through the evaporator 20 and passes through the electric heater 30. At this time, the downstream of the heating area 31 becomes cold air, the downstream of the heating area 32 becomes hot air, and the cool air is blown out from the vent outlet 50 and the hot air is blown out from the foot outlet 70 respectively.

When the bi-level mode is selected, by adjusting the opening of the opening / closing door 51 and controlling the power supplied to the heating area 32, the cool air blown out from the vent outlet 50 and the cool air blown out from the foot outlet 70. The temperature difference from the hot air to be performed is set to about 15 to 25 ° C.

When the foot mode is selected, the heating area 31 and the heating area 32 are both supplied with electric power, and the heating area 31 and the heating area 32 are heated.
At the same time, the doors 41, 51, and 61 are driven, the doors 41 and 51 are closed, and the door 61 is opened (see FIG. 2C).

The air introduced into the passage 11 is cooled when passing through the evaporator 20 and passes through the electric heater 30. At this time, the downstream of the heating area 31 and the heating area 32
The hot air is blown out from the foot air outlet 60 together with the downstream side.

When the differential foot mode is selected,
The heating area 31 and the heating area 32 are both in a power supply state, and the heating area 31 and the heating area 32 are heated.

At the same time, the doors 41, 51, 61 are driven, the door 41 and the door 61 are opened, and the door 51 is closed (see FIG. 2D).

The air introduced into the passage 11 is cooled when passing through the evaporator 20 and passes through the electric heater 30. At this time, the downstream of the heating area 31 and the heating area 32
The hot air is blown from the differential outlet 40 and the foot outlet 60 together.

When the differential foot mode is selected, the open / close door 41,
The hot air blown out of the differential air outlet 40 and the foot air outlet 60 are adjusted by adjusting the opening of the air outlet 61 and controlling the power supplied to the heating area 31 and the heating area 32.
The temperature difference from the warm air blown out of the air is set to about 0 to 10 ° C.

When the differential mode is selected, electric power is supplied to the heating area 31 and the heating area 32, and the heating area 31 and the heating area 32 are heated.

At the same time, the doors 41, 51, 61 are driven, the door 41 is opened, and the door 51 and the door 61 are closed (see FIG. 2E).

The air introduced into the passage 11 is cooled when passing through the evaporator 20 and passes through the electric heater 30. At this time, the downstream of the heating area 31 and the heating area 32
The hot air is blown out from the differential outlet 40 together with the downstream air.

According to this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

Since an electric heater 30 capable of generating an arbitrary amount of heat in any of the heating areas 31 and 32 is provided downstream of the evaporator 20, a desired heating capacity can be ensured and the temperature controllability in each mode can be ensured. Is improved.

Further, since the air mix door and the air mix chamber are eliminated and the casing 10 can be reduced in size, the space can be saved, and the interior space of the vehicle can be expanded.

Further, since the electric heater 30 can be attached and detached through the opening 15 without removing the blower unit from the casing 10, the electric heater 30 can be inspected and checked.
Workability at the time of repair etc. is improved.

In the above embodiment, the electric heater 30
Is divided into two independent heating areas, but may be constituted by two electric heaters instead of being divided into two heating areas.

In the above embodiment, the electric heater 30
Is divided into two independent heating areas, but may be divided into three or more. According to this configuration, finer temperature control can be performed. The same applies to a case where three or more electric heaters are used.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing an automotive air conditioner according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

This embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the electric heater 130 has the same area but the heating capacity is changed by changing the heat capacity of each of the heating areas 131 and 132.

According to this embodiment, the same effects as in the first embodiment can be obtained.

The casing 10 may be divided into a driver side unit case and a passenger side unit case by a partition plate (not shown), and each unit case may be provided with an electric heater.

According to this configuration, comfort can be easily ensured on both the driver's seat side and the passenger's seat side of the passenger compartment.

Further, a single-structure electric heater is used, and a cool air bypass passage bypassing the electric heater and a door for controlling the amount of cool air passing through the bypass passage are provided. The control may be performed together with the doors 41, 51, 61.

[0068]

As described above, according to the vehicle air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A desired heating capacity can be secured, and the temperature controllability is improved in each mode. Further, since the size of the unit case can be reduced, the space can be saved.

According to the vehicle air conditioner of the fifth aspect, comfort can be easily ensured on both the driver's seat side and the passenger's seat side.

According to the air conditioner for a vehicle according to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the workability in inspecting and repairing the electric heater is improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an automotive air conditioner according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the operation of each mode of the vehicle air conditioner.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing an automotive air conditioner according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram of a conventional automotive air conditioner.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 casing (unit case) 11 passage (air passage) 15 opening 20 evaporator (cooling heat exchanger) 30 electric heater (heating means) 31, 32 heating area

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A cooling heat exchanger, heating means disposed downstream of the cooling heat exchanger for heating air passing through the cooling heat exchanger, the cooling heat exchanger, An automotive air conditioner comprising: a unit case accommodating the heating unit; and a plurality of outlets provided in the unit case, which are located downstream of the heating unit, wherein the heating unit is an electric heater, An automotive air conditioner, wherein the electric heater is disposed so as to block an air passage downstream of the cooling heat exchanger, and the electric heater is divided into a plurality of independent heating areas. 2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of independent heating areas have different heating capacities. 3. A cooling heat exchanger, heating means disposed downstream of the cooling heat exchanger for heating air passing through the cooling heat exchanger, the cooling heat exchanger, An automotive air conditioner comprising: a unit case accommodating the heating unit; and a plurality of air outlets provided in the unit case, which are located downstream of the heating unit, wherein the heating unit includes the cooling heat exchanger. A plurality of electric heaters arranged so as to block an air passage downstream of the vehicle. 4. The automotive air conditioner according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of electric heaters have different heating capacities. 5. The unit case is formed by a partition plate.
The vehicle air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the divided driver's seat side unit case and front passenger seat side unit case each include an electric heater. 6. The vehicle air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein an opening for attaching and detaching the electric heater is provided in the unit case.